Trinidad to make ONE debut vs Ishige | Sports, News,

MANILA, Philippines — Rome Trinidad easily stands out in a room full of people.

Gracing covers of fashion magazines and donning new apparel on catwalks, Trinidad has shown why.

However, she is out to prove that she’s more than a pretty face. A practitioner of the art of Sikaran, Trinidad will try to lean on her early brush with the martial arts as she makes her ONE Championship debut against an equally head-turning Rika Ishige next week in Thailand.

“My bout against a well-revered Thai martial artist like Rika Ishige is a must-win fight for me. My family is going to watch. Not only that, the whole country will be watching as my bout will be broadcasted live worldwide. Surely, I will give everything in this match to bring home the victory,” Trinidad shared.

“Martial arts is my passion. I’m really happy when I share and learn new things about martial arts with others. I’m surrounded by people who support me in training. It makes me stronger,” the fighter continued.

Trinidad and Ishige square off in the “Warriors of the World” showpiece at the Impact Arena in Bangkok.

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The Filipina fighter, though, has a steep task ahead of her, as Ishige is a highly revered Muay Thai practicioner who will try to snare a victory before the home crowd.

“I know she is a good fighter with a good background in martial arts,” Trinidad said. “Plus, she is more experienced than me. But one important key to success is self-confidence — the trait has always been with me in this journey. I look at things optimistically.”

And as far as positivism goes, Trinidad also shared that she is doing this in an effort to contribute to the sport.

“I would like to continue this campaign for everyone who doesn’t understand the beauty of this sport. Martial arts is not about fighting. Its real aim is to empower both men and women, she said.

“We’ve already seen what women can do inside the cage. It’s a high time to unleash our full potential in this sport,” she added.